Nehal Hashmi takes oath as Sindh governor

KARACHI: Senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Nehal Hashmi on Friday took oath as the governor of Sindh, replacing Kamran Khan Tessori.

The oath was administered by Zafar Ahmed Rajput at a ceremony held at the Governor House Karachi.

The ceremony was attended by Murad Ali Shah, Murtaza Wahab, Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar and several provincial ministers.

Bashir Memon and other party leaders and workers of the PML-N were also present at the event.

Hashmi assumed office a day after President Asif Ali Zardari approved his appointment on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The prime minister had earlier forwarded a summary to the president seeking approval for the appointment and also met Hashmi in Islamabad to congratulate him on the proposed nomination.

Meanwhile, sources said Tessori left for Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah shortly before the change in office and is expected to remain there for a few days.

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A spokesperson for the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan said the party had not been taken into confidence by the federal government regarding the decision and would announce its stance after internal consultations.

Hashmi, who belongs to the Malir area of Karachi, has long been associated with the ruling PML-N. He served as adviser to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on law and justice from 1997 to 1999.

In 2015, he was elected to the Senate of Pakistan on a PML-N ticket. His party membership was suspended in 2017 and later restored in 2021.